Author: nora

We know it’s been a minute since we’ve given shared an update, but in our defense we’ve been pretty busy helping launch a brand new showroom and securing appearances for our clients in major publications like The Wall Street Journal. Here’s a look back at the past month at Wolf PR.

We helped Industry West launch their first showroom, in Soho, and it was a huge success. Not only have did they get tons of people through the door on their very first day, they got a lot of great industry press for it, too, including in Business of Home and HFN.

Not just showing off their showroom, we’ve helped Industry West land their products in a bunch of publications this past month, including in Luxury, Aspire (twice!), New York Cottages & Gardens, and California Home & Design.

It’s been a big month for Geoff Chick and Associates, too, with not one but two shoutouts in The Wall Street Journal. One was a brief look at how he uses rolling ladders to maximize small spaces, and the other was a great feature on the Chandler home and its firefighting design.

While I’m relatively new to it, I suspect it’s rare that furniture PR winds you up in a psychedelic church that worships “visionary art” and all the world’s faiths. But, in large part thanks to Herman Miller, I just had a much needed night away in the Hudson Valley at a 40-acre estate.

As you probably saw, Wolf PR helped Herman Miller launch their new chair, Cosm, this past April in Milan for Salone del Mobile. While I was dutiously doing research to see what press was out there after the product launch, I happened upon cosm.org, the very first Google result. And it had very little to do with an office chair.

Standing for the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, it’s a registered church and 501(c)(3) non-profit founded by Alex and Allyson Grey to celebrate “visionary art.” The couple, who have been together since first meeting (and dropping acid) in 1975, ran an art space in Chelsea until 2009, but decided to take a break from the city and moved upstate to grow their sanctuary.

Upon visiting their website what struck me the most were the renderings of the Entheon, an under-construction 12,000 square foot sanctuary for art, converted from an old carriage house. While currently bare concrete, it will eventually be a covered in a baroque, creature-covered design inspired by the Greys’ own cosmography and experiences informed by various experiments with psychedelics and entactogens—such as DNA dragons snaking up the roof, which is dotted with a pattern of eyes called “collective vision” which were witnessed during one of Alex’s experiences with DMT. It will also feature figures and symbols from the world’s many religious and spiritual practices, or wisdom traditions as they call them—like a door which features Adam and Eve returned to the Garden of Eden.

When I’m not at Wolf PR, I’m freelance write and edit, covering things across art, architecture, and design. I mentioned the Entheon, sort of jokingly, to my editor at The Architect’s Newspaper and his unexpected response was “Do you want to cover it?”

So I did.

The article appeared on the frontpage of The Architect’s Newspaper’s June edition and was popular online, likely due to the striking renderings of Entheon made by Oscar-winning animator Ryan Tottle (he lent his skills on Frozen among other mainstream films). After the article went up online, I was thrilled to receive an email from Allyson thanking me for the article and also inviting me up for a visit.

And how could I say no? I took the train up from New York City to the Wappinger Falls estate—which is laid out on a projected goddess, “the kabbalistic sephirot of justice”— for a night away.

The main structure, the Grey House, is a sort of psychedelic B&B and gallery, filled with art by Alex and Allyson and featuring all manner of surprising details—like multiheaded sconces with spinning purple lights—a fixture I’ll be sure to ask my roommate if we can feature in our own home.

I stayed in the Rose Room, a spacious bedroom replete with a four poster bed, dining nook, and large windows overlooking the wooded estate—a far cry from my cramped Manhattan apartment. It not only had the northern-Renaissance style art pictured, but Allyson’s “secret language” paintings, zigzagging indecipherable characters of an unspeakable language.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to enter Entheon, that imposing concrete chapel (or get to witness the reliquaries of psychedelic evangelist Timothy Leary’s ashes or the spectacles of the Swiss scientist who first synthesized LSD Albert Hoffman). But, being that I don’t think I had been among “nature” in nearly 9 months, I spent most of my day exploring the wooded estate— following the Wisdom Trail, which was dotted with art by artists and artist volunteers. One of the most striking sculptures was the white three-tiered, climbable metal gazebo set in a circular meadow, Altered States. The structure was designed by artist Kate Raudenbush, who describes herself as “New York-based, Burning Man–bred.”

Also nearby were nests by Nature Hogan, a mural by Chris Dyer, other painted sculptures, a labyrinth, and some bee hives for harvesting honey. There was also a large decorative gate which didn’t seem to lead to anywhere. My friend who visited with me claims it was gone when we left to catch the train the next morning. And I can’t say after my visit that anything would surprise me.

This past July was a great time for Wolf PR as our clients appeared all across print and web, and as we geared up to work with two exciting new brands—Industry West and Norlan.

Kikkerland was featured in the glamorous pages of Vogue where their reusable paper straws stole the spotlight as more and more people are turning away from plastic disposable products.

Resident cropped up in Spaces and Lighting and Decor with their Arcade Daybed and Circus 250 pendant lamp.

Herman Miller’s Live OS, a suite of data-driven solution for offices, was spotlighted in Business of Home from Editor at Large, showing how big data is even infiltrating furniture design. In one particularly standout example, Herman Miller used their technology on themselves: “Using the Live OS dashboard, we identified the exact minute during this period that the most desks were in use,” says Chris Hoyt, a Live OS manager at Herman Miller. “With this information as a guide, we created a plan for adding 15 new summer interns to the space. As a result, we comfortably accommodated both the interns and the other residents of the office.”

Industry West was founded in 2011 by Jordan and Anne England, Industry West began as a search for the perfect dining chair. They now collaborates with numerous international designers to sell a variety furniture and home accessories for residential and commercial spaces. The company is entirely bootstrapped and has accepted no outside funding.

Norlan creates hypermodern drinkware for whisky aficionados. Norlan was founded by two former Moss colleagues, Brian Fichtner and Shane Bahng, both who went on to work their way up the design ecosystem with stints at the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum, Giorgetti and Swedish luxury brand Hästens. They were joined by internationally recognized Icelandic designer Sruli Recht. The three combined their design expertise to found Norlan.

Norlan’s glasses use biomimicry, fine glass blowing techniques, and contemporary design details to update the the ritual of whiskey drinking, adding a modern take to a timeless tradition. They currently have two glasses and a new one on the way.

Also stay tuned for a look at one of Wolf PR’s own’s (somehow Herman Miller inspired) visit to a very unusual church and artists’ retreat upstate.

Summer’s well underway and things have been heating up at Wolf PR—not least of all with NeoCon where we represented Herman Miller’s newest releases and their big announcements about their acquisitions of HAY and Maars Living Walls. Of course, Kikkerland’s also been enjoying its day in the sun, topping of many summer roundups.

With the continued success of Cosm, many new product announcements at NeoCon, and some big corporate news, Herman Miller has been getting plenty of attention. Overlay and Axon, first launched at NeoCon, made it into Architizer. Cosm was featured in Specify, Design Milk, Co.Design, and Snap—which also featured Leeway, a favorite of Azure, too.

Phew things have been busy! April and May have been a whirlwind with Salone del Mobile and NYCxDESIGN. Thankfully, our clients’ great work has been getting plenty of much-deserved recognition.

In Milan Wolf PR worked with Herman Miller to unveil their brand-new Cosm line of office chairs at their exhibition For You Everyone. Unsurprisingly, Cosm was a hit and landed publication in Interior Design, Architect Magazine, Hypebeast, and others.

We hardly had a moment to breathe, with NYCxDESIGN following up right after Salone. For New York’s more-than-a-week design week we were happy to work again with Wolf PR’s very first client, Still House, for a successful celebration of Pat Kim’s Formations, which appeared in Sight Unseen and Curbed, as well as on Interior Design’s “What not to miss” map (along with new Wolf PR clients Next Level and Resident).

New Zealand furniture designer Resident’s Soho installation Traveling without Bags and the collaboratively curated show Next Level were big hits, appearing on roundups from, among many,Architectural Digest and The New York Times. Resident also got some great press in publications like Surface and Wallpaper*.

Kikkerland had their own display during NYCxDESIGN, showcasing the winners of their latest design challenge at Wanted Design. They’ve also been getting a lot of summer love for their new collection in publications like House Beautiful and Vogue.

While we didn’t welcome in spring quite the way we wanted to this snowy March (and, it seems so far, April) we did get some fresh starts with Wolf PR’s newest client, New Zealand-based furniture brand Resident.

We helped Resident come on to the U.S. scene by scoring them a position in Sight Unseen’s Saturday Selects.

Resident wasn’t the only Sight Unseen feature this past month. Canadian collectible furniture makers Claste also made Saturday Selects the week before, following on the heels of their first U.S. showing and the launch of their new collection, Tension 1.2, at Les Ateliers Courbet in New York.

Kikkerland’s more rugged products made appearances in OFFGRID, the outdoor gear magazine with reviews of their Wood Axe Multi Tool and Key Tools.

One of Wolf PR’s newer clients, Tritan from Eastman has been making waves. The shatterproof, crystal clear, BPA-free plastic has been cropping up in a number of products, especially for the kitchen. For The Inspired Home’s coffee-obsession roundup they recommended the Tritan-based Dash Rapid Cold Brew System as the first step in an indulgent cocktail.

And finally, we helped land Wolf PR friend Michala Monroe in the Wall Street Journal’s print and online editions where she reminisced with other design pros on what she loved (and hated) about her family home.

Wolf PR is feeling refreshed and ready for the new year after taking a much needed break. As we gear up for 2018, here’s a look back at our very busy December.

This holiday season Kikkerland was all over gift guides. And with budget (and stocking) friendly products for just about everyone, we can’t say we’re surprised. Some stand outs were Redbook’s feature of the 3D dinosaur puzzle in its under $50 round up, Real Simple’s inclusion of the Unicorn Zip and Flip pillow in its holiday gift guide, and numerous appearances in New York magazine’s The Strategist. We hope Kikkerland brought many lucky recipients some cheer this past December.

ZigZagZurich also popped up on this season’s holiday giving guides. The Konstructiv Wool Blanket made an appearance on Design Milk‘s “2017 Gift Guide: For the Person Who Has Everything” and the Bauhaused 2 blanket was recommended for “the entertainer” in Organic Spa.

It wasn’t just holiday gifts that Wolf PR clients rounded off the lists of, though. The luminous marble of Claste’s Heart of Gold lamp got a full-page feature in the “Covet” section of “Interiors.” Definitely a covetable position.

The holidays are a time to celebrate, and there’s been no shortage of celebration at Wolf PR.

First and foremost, Kikkerland rang in an amazing 25 years! On the advent of this silver anniversary, Format Magazine profiled founder Jan van der Lande, who reflected on the brand’s over two decades of fun and functional design. From humble beginnings bicycling around New York selling friends’ vases to design stores to creating a design that was “more like pop music,” Jan has grown a business and brand whose cleverness inspires smirks the world over.

Kikkerland’s press presence didn’t stop there, though; their staggering range of products dotted gift guides with everything from selfie lights to Bluetooth speakers to portable grills in publications like InStyle, Goop, Chatelaine, the Los Angeles Times, and many more. The Gold Paper Straws even made an appearance as a seasonal cocktail ingredient, certain to help you get through even the most trying family functions.

Speaking of gift lists, ZigZagZurich’s Kosntructiv wool blanket, designed by creative director Michele Rondelli, made the inimitable New York Times’ own holiday gift guide, and the Guatemala throw made an appearance in the decidedly design critical Architect’s Newspaper. It wasn’t just gift guides that rounded up ZigZagZurich’s striking patterns, though—Surface’s wall covering list featured the Milano pattern designed by CoopDPS, the collaborative project of iconic duo Nathalie du Pasquier and George Sowden.

Stationary aficionados can also rejoice this holiday season, as rave reviews have been coming in for the productivity-focused the Action Method Action Book from The Gentleman Stationer, The Gadgeteer, and Cool Hunting. Elegant and practical, its definitely perfect for a New Years resolution reset after a holiday break.